Has anyone had any experience with the Forest River V-Cross Vibe line of trailers, in particularly the 6500 series? We're looking at lightweight trailers like these and they seem promising. Just wondering if anyone could comment on quality, layout, etc.

I saw a couple at the RVIA show in Louisville last month. I thought the styling on these were very cool. I think the gentle slope of the roof line in the rear complemented the front V nose quite well. The model I looked at was the 6504, which had the front bath and bunks that were part of the slide out. I've got a handful of pics of it on my Flickr site. When counting across, they're pics 24-30 on the gallery:http://www.flickr.com/photos/11019355@N0......../sets/72157628213865571/with/6428476897/

Overall, my impressions of the Vibe were positive. Really liked the pass through storage in the rear as well.

Nice blog as well. I was looking at another trailer earlier this week from a smaller company called Sunset RV, but the deal fell through. You may want to take a look at www.sunsetrv4u.com for your blog. The Sunray line of campers are very nice.

Pat in Speedway wrote:Ken,
I remember you now...you posted on another topic about buying a used Sunray, correct?

Yeah - We really liked it, however, it just didn't work out. The seller overpaid for it and could not come to terms with selling it for a fair price. He wanted more for it than what I could buy a new one for.

Here is our wishlist:
1. Max GVW - 3500 lbs
2. Full Bath (separate tub and toilet)
3. Full Bed that does not have to be collapsed from a dinette each time. We want to just get in the camper and sleep.
4. Room for two kids. (preferably a bunk)

We a budget that we can be flexible with, meaning the more wishlist items the unit has the more we would be willing to spend.

V-nose sets more restrictions on floor-planning. Less room for the same length, and less efficient use of available room. Don't know how much fuel it would save due to improved aerodynamics compared to a conventional radius front wall, depends on frequency of use, but I bet one can get same or better economy from slower speed and lighter load. Especially the speed - energy required to overcome air resistance goes up as the square of velocity (force of resistance goes up as the cube of velocity).

The V Nosed trailer will handle better than a flat nose under similar conditions. It wants to go straight.
A trailer with a higher percentage of tongue weight will handle better than one with a lower percentage.
A trailer that has its axles spread apart will handle better than one with conventional wheel spacing.
A trailer that has its axles further aft on the trailer will out handle one that has it's axles closer to your pickup.
A trailer pulled by a 6800 pound Diesel 2500HD pickup will handle better than the same pickup with a gas engine because the diesel has 400 more pounds on its front axle.
A trailer pulled by a 2500 HD gasser will handle better than an 1500 pickup with the same wheelbase. The HD is heavier and will accomodate more tongue weight which equals better handling.
A trailer pulled by a pickup that has cargo in it ( below its GVW ) will handle better than the same pickup with that cargo in the trailer. Especially if the cargo is in the front of the box.
A trailer that has it's cargo in the nose will handle better than a trailer with cargo aft of its axles.
A trailer shaped like a boat will handle better than a trailer shaped like a box. (Same as rule # one )